Lebanon receives Salameh's arrest warrant from Interpol, what's next?
Lebanon on Friday received an Interpol notice for the country's embattled central bank governor who failed to show up in Paris earlier in the week for questioning in a key corruption case, Caretaker interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said Friday.
A French investigative judge Tuesday issued an international arrest warrant for Salameh after he didn’t show up for questioning.
Salameh denies allegations of corruption, and maintains that he amassed his wealth through his previous job as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch, inherited properties, and investments.
In a statement earlier this week, Salameh accused the French investigation and judicial process of “double standards” and of leaking confidential information to the media. He vowed to appeal the arrest warrant.
Since Salameh’s remaining time in office is relatively short, rather than recusing himself during any ongoing investigations, “it would be better for him to resign, and if not, the government needs to take a decision," caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Saade Chami said Thursday.
Authorities are seriously discussing the fate of Salameh following the Interpol warrant, media reports said.
ِِA ministerial meeting Monday will discuss Salameh's file, al-Akhbar newspaper said, as caretaker Prime minister Najib Mikati plans to call for a cabinet session during which ministers will decide whether or not to dismiss Salameh from his post.
Salameh’s term comes to an end in July, and he has said he would not seek to extend it.
In an interview with Saudi-owned TV station Al-Hadath Thursday, Salameh said that he would resign only if he was convicted of a crime but dismissed the accusations against him as "not a judicial case, but a political case.”
The Interior Ministry referred the arrest warrant to the judiciary and Mawlawi reportedly said he would enforce it if the Lebanese judiciary decides so.
However, Lebanon is unlikely to comply with the Interpol notice and arrest and hand over Salameh to French authorities. Under the country's laws, Lebanon does not extradite its own citizens. In 2020, it received two Interpol red notices for tycoon Carlos Ghosn, who faced financial misconduct charges in Japan. Ghosn remains in Lebanon.
Public Prosecutor Judge Ghassan Oueidat will have to question Salameh and take a decision.
Judicial sources told al-Akhbar that Oueidat would likely tell France that according to the Lebanese law, Lebanese citizens should be tried in Lebanon. He would not arrest Salameh but would ban him from traveling, the sources said.
Source: Naharnet, Associated Press
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